Consumer regret: The exploration of a cognitive /affective construct.

Abstract

Consumer regret is an appraisal-based emotional construct representing a consumer's response to (or anticipation of) an unpleasant product- (or service-) related experience. This research is designed to define consumer regret, to distinguish it from other consumption-related appraisals (including dissatisfaction), and to consider other variables influencing consumer regret in an applied context. In the first of three studies, higher levels of regret were experienced when consumers attributed responsibility for their negative outcome to themselves while higher levels of dissatisfaction were found in the low self-attribution condition. The second study elaborated on different coping responses to consumer regret and consumer dissatisfaction. Consumers wrote of experiences of regret or dissatisfaction, and many of their coping responses (categorized as feelings, thoughts, actions, action tendencies, emotivational goals, and complaining behavior) to regret differed from those related to dissatisfaction. The third study explored variables yet to be considered in the regret context: the size of the decision making unit, the level of agreement of an individual consumer within that unit, and consumer's gender. The only significant main effect indicates that a group member who does not strongly agree with the group purchase decision experiences more regret than one who does strongly agree. Further investigation suggests that there is a significant interaction among gender, group size, and agreement level: men experienced greater regret when they fail to strongly agree in groups of two, and women when they fail to strongly agree in groups of three or more. Implications and suggested future research are also discussed.